​What’s lovelier than a day trip to check out a popup market full of independent artists and makers in a quaint riverside village? Not much!

The Waddington Summer Market (one of our latest projects) featured home goods, fashion, art, and food from more than 30 Northern and Central New York small businesses. Most of these businesses don’t have brick-and-mortar stores, so participating in the market gave them a chance to connect with their community and it provided a chance for locals and visitors to check them out in person.

We're thrilled to share that the response has been so positive and the sales so successful that the market is now going to be open year-round permanent shop and artist studio. We're working on re-branding the market and consolidating the websites and social media (previously they were separated by their summer and winter seasonal names) to reflect this new change. The new name will be Waddington Marketplace and Studios at Clark House.

​Waddington, NY is about 2.5 hours north of Syracuse (where we are), situated on the St. Lawrence River. The Clark House, the market's location, is an historic building undergoing renovation and a preservation campaign. The Clark House was constructed in the 1800s when Waddington was the industrial hub of St. Lawrence County, boasting numerous mills, shops, restaurants, and taverns. The Clark House served as one of Waddington’s stagecoach stops and was a popular destination for residents, travelers, and businessmen. It was the structural and social anchor of Waddington’s downtown, a place where people stayed, ate, and met socially with their neighbors. In recent decades, a vacant Clark House fell into a state of serious disrepair.

​We’ve been working closely with the participating business owners, the Clark House Preservation committee, ANCA (Adirondack North Country Association), and the St. Lawrence Chamber of Commerce to create this market, drawing people to Waddington to revitalize the economy there and give the Clark House new purpose.

The Waddington Summer Market was an early step in the overall goal of making the Clark House and the village of Waddington into a hub for arts and events in the North Country. The St. Lawrence Arts Council's goal is to turn the building into an artist co-op with gallery and shop space on the first floor and studio space above and with the extension of the marketplace into a permanent shop, they are closer to achieving that goal. By keeping our marketplace there, it helps people visualize the space being used in that way so they can see the potential for both the building and the community.​

We took our team there on September 1 for a visit (and some delicious savory crepes at Artworks Creperie) and we met artist Cheryl Spadaccini who has been managing the store. We were excited to see all the products (we might have come home with a few goodies) and think about the potential for the permanent space. To learn more, visit the market's website for hours and more details. ​

Last fall, a couple came in to talk about an engagement party they wanted to throw. But when we met with Sean and Danielle, they filled us in on their secret--they were planning to host a surprise wedding by getting married at the 'engagement' party! They were able to pull it off and we had a lot of fun being in on the surprise. For Sean and Danielle, who wed in September, the romance was a whirlwind. In late March 2014, they met through a mutual friend who was sure Sean was Danielle's future husband. A week after they met, they went on their first date; a month later, she moved in with him, and a month after that they began talking marriage. We asked Danielle (and Sean) to talk a little about their surprise wedding:

"We never actually made a conscious decision to have a very short engagement. We both just wanted to be together. I know it seems fast in reality, but we knew we wanted to spend our lives together. We were driving one day talking about wedding ideas, what he would want, what I would want, just a casual conversation. We were not even engaged at the time. We start talking about how big or little our wedding would be, and Sean said, 'You know what would be great? If we just had a party and surprised everyone and got married!' And I agreed. It took off from there."

"We were very secretive at the start. We hired The Events Company to plan the wedding in early June. We hadn't told anyone yet, which was really hard because my family is super close. Mom knew first, mom always knows everything first. Very slowly we each spoke to individuals that we knew we wanted to be part of the wedding. And they were sworn to secrecy. It turns out we have pretty good secret keepers in our circle.I would say that 70% of the guests were completely surprised. We had to try and throw people off, so there were some lies and storytelling, but it was completely worth it. If we had it to do over again, we would."

Even though the wedding was a surprise, the couple managed to celebrate the day with the most important people to them in attendance. About six out-of-town guests were clued in ahead of time so they could attend, but for everyone else not in the wedding party, the wedding remained a secret. By way of the surprise, Sean and Danielle's guest list managed itself in terms of keeping it intimate.

"We agreed many times that if our engagement party isn't important enough to go to, we don't want you at the wedding. I know that's harsh. But how many distant relatives do you have, or coworkers, or long lost friends, whom you invite to weddings and birthday parties out of obligation? We figured that by inviting roughly everyone we knew, we covered ourselves fulfilling the obligation part, knowing that people would make the choice of "waiting for the wedding." I was hurt by a couple people who didn't make it, and have had some disgruntled people who have said 'had I known...' But that's the point. No one knew. And they all were there anyways."

When Sean and Danielle started to reveal their plans at the initial meeting, they didn't have a venue in mind. Nicole listed to their ideas and suggested the Palace Theatre.

"We wanted to have an "engagement party" and then mid-way through, play a video the guests would focus on, and we could potentially be standing behind the screen where the video was, the screen would lift and we would be standing behind it. We pitched that idea to Nicole and she suggested the Palace Theatre. We knew when we saw it that it was going to be the place to pull it off. "

Once all the guests had arrived and everyone was enjoying the engagement party, Sean and Danielle asked their guests to enter the theater for a video. As the video played, they changed into their formal dress. As the slideshow of photos of the couple ended, the last slide was a Save the Date--with that night's date. The bridal party procession followed and their ceremony was short and sweet, performed by Danielle's brother who was ordained online. They exchanged brief, funny vows and then got right down to the party.

"We wanted everyone to have a good time. Good food and lots of fun. That's why we decided to nix a lot of the usual wedding formalities: No dollar dance, no garter toss or bouquet toss (though they kept a few of the traditional elements, such as the first, father-daughter, and mother-son dances, and the cake cutting).We really just wanted to have a huge party where we could all just have a great time."

Danielle had her heart set on a black and white color scheme with pops of red. The surprise was the most important detail to Sean, so as that was under control, Danielle worked with us to select decor and set the stage, so to speak. Throughout the lobby were enlarged photos of Danielle and Sean, in place of posters for shows. The ceremony was held on the theater stage (which also served as the dance floor later) and Sean and Danielle said their vows between two tall loose arrangements. The reception tables looked sophisticated in black linens tied with red and were topped by simple low flower arrangements.

"The one thing I really wanted, which in hindsight was not the best idea, was to have the whole room of the ceremony completely lit by candles. That was our wedding favor--candles with our names and the date on them. Word to the wise: Don't try this. In theory, a completely candle-lit room is totally romantic. In reality, people were trying to juggle candles and drinks and cameras, and a few were dropped and broken. And the dim lighting does not help your photographer. Light is super important for pictures, and though our photographer was able to get some shots, the pictures our guests got were borderline terrible. So brides, I'm telling you, the brighter the room the better! Also, because the whole thing goes by so fast, most of your memories will only be in photos."

Sean and Danielle added some other special touches to their menu, as well: "Mashed potato bar! Best idea ever! It was a favorite of the guests also. I'm sure the open bar was also a highlight, haha, but mashed potato bar. It. Was. Awesome."

The white and sweet mashed potatoes were served with toppings in martini glasses.

Their graphic cake was modeled after a sample cake their bakery, Sweet Indulgence, had in their shop.

"We actually had chosen a square cake. A few days before the wedding we were told that square Styrofoam, which one of the layers was to be, was on back order. So our cake was round. It wasn't quite what I wanted, but in the end, we put a wedding together in 10 weeks from beginning to end. There were other battles to worry about."

In addition to pulling off the surprise, Sean and Danielle created a wedding that was very 'them.'

"I don't know if I could pinpoint the best part of that day. One of my favorite things about the whole thing is the after. And yes, I mean being married to the love of my life, but also the reaction of all the guests. That we did something so different and unique. Sean told me that when he visited another branch of his company weeks after our wedding, people were still raving about it. We could have gone the traditional route, but it's just not us. And since this has been mostly my point of view I can also say, my husband is a larger-than-life kind of guy. A traditional sit-down formal dinner just didn't fit. Doing something outside the norm just felt more us. And that's a pretty amazing feeling too."

We realized in talking to some of our long-time clients that there may be a little confusion about how The Events Company and SKY Armory work, both separately and together. So we'd like to help clear that up!

The Events Company (TEC), which has been in business for 18 years, is not changing. We are still your go-to for exceptional weddings, corporate meetings and events, Bat and Bar Mitzvahs, milestone birthdays and anniversaries (both social and corporate), galas, bashes, fundraisers, awards dinners, community events - you name it! We are an event planning and design company and we will help you plan your event at any location.

Our sister company, SKY Armory, is an event venue in downtown Syracuse. SKY has its own staff, which includes a sales manager, executive chef, food & beverage manager, event planners, and kitchen, dining, and service staff. SKY is an urban open-loft style space and it is one of the larger event venues in Central New York - SKY is able to hold up to 900 people between the two large ballrooms and has already hosted or booked many of the types of events listed above.

The companies, both owned by Nicole and Kevin Samolis, are two separate entities with their own staffs: The Events Company event planners and production team manage events at indoor and outdoor locations all over the region (and beyond). SKY Armory's staff handles events held only at SKY Armory.

When you come to The Events Company about your event, depending on your projected headcount, event style and vision, we may suggest SKY as a venue if we think it's right for you. If you select SKY Armory as the venue for your event, you'll still work directly with your TEC planner, who will liaise with the management staff at SKY to help schedule decor meetings and tastings.

SKY is not only one more great local venue in our arsenal of top venues in the area, it provides a very different atmosphere than other locations where you might have held events. If you choose another location for your event, your TEC planner will guide you through the planning process and day-of management.

As always, our goal is to ease the stress and pain of event planning for you and help you create a memorable event that people talk about long after they depart.

In case you haven't heard about our sister company SKY Armory, we wanted to share a little more information. Yesterday, the team at SKY held a press day where members of the press, local bloggers, and community activists were invited to get a hard hat tour of the property while learning more about SKY from our owner Nicole Samolis and the SKY executive team Amy Preble, sales manager, Jason Neville, food & beverage manager, and Jason Jessmore, executive chef.

SKY had a great turnout and has already received some lovely press mentions from the reporters who attended:

The building is still under construction and will be open mid-September for their first event. SKY Armory is also hiring for various positions in the events and food service areas - employment opportunities.

Frilly frosting and towering confections – wedding cakes are one of the most iconic parts of a wedding and one most couples spend a lot of time thinking about. Brides magazine posted a pretty definitive list of all the questions you should ask potential bakers when you’re considering them for your wedding.The questions range from basic information about the professional experience and background of the baker to the more nitty-gritty details of the design of the cake, plus payment and logistics. It’s important to ask as many questions as you can so you can be sure you’ll be happy with the result. You never know when an odd situation might come up like a baker saying they won’t (or can’t) make a certain shape.If you can, go into your meeting with a baker with some images of what you like and don’t like. This is one area where Pinterest can be a godsend. I wish Pinterest had existed when I got married. We asked our baker for a cake with turned square layers in chocolate fondant and I wanted gold luster powder dusted on top of each layer to look a little warm and glittery. When I asked my baker for that, I said I wanted gold leaf sprinkled on the cake. What I got was something else: actual squares of gold leaf paper plastered a bit haphazardly around all sides of the cake. People walked by it not even realizing it was our wedding cake. I was disappointed but at least it tasted delicious.There was a breakdown in communication between me and my baker: either I didn’t explain myself clearly or she missed what I was saying. I wish I had had some images, or I wish I’d asked her to sketch it for me, because if she had drawn the squares, I would have immediately caught the problem. If you have any concerns about specific requests, patterns, or materials you want used on your cake, do your best to research the proper terminology of that pattern (Greek Key vs trellis, for example) or material (luster dust powder vs gold leaf sheets) and bring any images or even sketch it yourself so you can be sure the baker understands what you have in mind.

*Unless your friend is a professional and/or you really (really) trust them.

Last week I participated in the Twitter chat #bridalbabble, which I now do every Wednesday at 4pm (Eastern) —join us!— and one of the brides mentioned that she learned a valuable lesson when she and her fiancé had a friend shoot their engagement photos. The photos did not come out well and required a lot of editing before the couple could use them.

It reminded me of what happened 10 years ago when my husband and I got married. A very good friend offered to video tape our wedding as part of her gift to us. We accepted and were very excited. She taped the ceremony and the crucial parts of the reception (the cocktail hour entertainment, bridal party entrance, speeches, cutting the cake, etc).

We were married in early October and a few weeks before Christmas, I inquired about the videos. My friend told me she had actually borrowed the video camera from a friend of hers because she didn’t have her own, and she was waiting for the friend to burn the videos onto a CD. Long story short, for months her friends were too “busy” and then started dodging her calls.

Finally, about three weeks before our first anniversary, I told my friend I wanted to call these people directly and demand my videos. So I called up, reached the husband, and as politely as I could gave him the riot act. He told me that he didn’t think they had my wedding anymore because their computer crashed just days before I called.

Ultimately, they lost our entire ceremony (you know, the part you barely remember because of nerves, emotions, and excitement) but they were able to recover the reception video. We were grateful for that, but I really wanted our ceremony video for so many reasons: to see our faces when we first saw each other, to hear our vows and the duet our friends sang for us, and to see my friend, the priest who married us and has now since passed away.

All of this is to say that if a friend offers to photograph or videotape your wedding, or for financial reasons you need to rely on a friend, be sure you trust them. Based on my experience, here are some things you should consider:

Make sure it’s someone who will take the task seriously.

Ask them to show you the equipment they plan to use and see if they can bring a backup camera (and if they’re borrowing it, make sure they a.) know how to use the camera and b.) create the disc, thumb drive, or cloud folder for you before returning the camera – avoid the middleman).

Ask if they’ve shot a wedding before and see if they can show you any pictures.

Ask if they have any experience shooting in different lighting situations – even professionals can struggle with dark ballrooms and other lighting issues.

Have a conversation with that friend about expectations and your desires.

Good quality professional photographers and videographers are absolutely worth the money, however, sometimes couples need to save money in this area. But know that unless the friend is a professional giving you the gift of free or discounted work, or is naturally a talented photographer, you may not get professional results. I just want you to end up with beautiful, clear photographs (and/or videos) because once the wedding day is over, the memories and the images are what remain.

﻿What we do:﻿

The Events Company is a Syracuse event planningcompany specializing in the design, planning, and production of weddings, corporate events and meetings, galas, bashes, showers, milestone birthday and anniversary parties, and fundraisers.